Despite the significant research that has been conducted regarding effortful control and children's adjustment, there is limited evidence of the potential for hot/cool dimensionality related to social competence in preschool-aged children. Seventy-four children (30 males and 44 females; mean age = 35, 24 months) and 22 female teachers participated in the research. Children were assessed using a battery of tasks to measure hot and cool inhibitory control tasks, and they were evaluated by their teachers for socio-emotional functioning. Results show that high performance on Hot Tasks (not on Cool Tasks) predicts social competence, while low performance on these tasks predicts aggressive behavior, demonstrating that hot and cool inhibitory control processes predict different outcomes. The implications of these findings for future theoretical and empirical development of the research in this field are discussed. © 2014 Springer Science+Business Media New York

Introduction This study investigated the relationships of pandemic-related stress and coping strategies with different kinds of sexting (i.e., experimental, risky, and emotional) during the COVID-19 lockdown in the Italian context. Methods A sample of 1929 emerging adults (Mage = 24.17, SDage = 2.75; 71.6% girls) completed an online survey about their sexting behaviors during the national lockdown in Italy. Data were gathered in April/May 2020, from 6th to 11th week of home confinement due to COVID-19 pandemic. Hierarchical regression and mediation analyses were performed. Results Pandemic-related stress directly predicted only risky and emotional sexting. Experimental and emotional sexting were positively predicted by social support, and negatively predicted by turning to religion. Risky and emotional sexting were positively predicted by avoidance, and negatively predicted by problem solving. Adaptive coping (i.e., social support) mediated the relationships from pandemic-related stress to both experimental and emotional sexting. Maladaptive coping (i.e., avoidance and problem solving) mediated the relationships from pandemic related-stress to risky and emotional sexting. Conclusions Sexting was a coping tool during COVID-19 lockdown, showing both adaptive and maladaptive facets. Policy Implications Findings suggest new directions for implementing programs of sexual education and safer Internet use targeted to young people.

This study examined the relationship between emotional understanding, friendship representation and reciprocity in school-aged children. Two hundred and fifty-one Caucasian 6-year-old children (111 males and 140 females) took part in the study. The Test of Emotion Comprehension (TEC) and the Pictorial Assessment of Interpersonal Relationships (PAIR) were used. Children having a reciprocal friendship and children having a unilateral friendship with a child named as their "best friend" were compared on the emotional understanding task and on their pictorial representations of friendship. Multilevel analyses indicated that friendship status effects were not influenced by classroom-level differences. Results showed that children with reciprocal friendships drew themselves as more similar to and more cohesive with their best friends, and they showed better understanding of emotions, than children having a unilateral friendship. Finally, the implications of these findings for theoretical and empirical research development on friendship are discussed.

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Background Approximately 85–90% of congenital cytomegalovirus infections (cCMV) are asymptomatic. Few studies have investigated early and long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes in children with asymptomatic cCMV (acCMV), and the data is contradictory. In the present study, we did investigate the effect of cCMV asymptomatic infection on neurological outcomes and in cognitive, language and motor development at 6 months of age. Methods Fifty-six children with cCMV asymptomatic infection were followed for 6 months, as part of a long-term surveillance program, examining their neurological and developmental outcomes. Neurological examination and Bayley-III Scales were performed. Results Clinical evaluation revealed that early neurological outcomes were essentially normal, with minor neurological deficits (i.e., tone abnormalities) in a subgroup of patients. Bayley-III scores were substantially in the normal range, with 14% showing a score less than 85 (-1SD) in the Motor Scale. Children's neurological and neurodevelopmental outcomes at 6 months of age did not differ according to the trimester of infection. Conclusions Some infants with cCMV asymptomatic infection may present minor neurological abnormalities in early stages of life. It seems useful to monitor this population for early and late neurodevelopmental sequelae.

This study investigated binge behaviors during COVID-19 lockdown in Italy, exploring individual and contextual risk factors. Participants were 1925 emerging adults ( M age = 24.18, SD age = 2.75; 71.9% women), recruited during the national lockdown in Italy. An online survey investigated binge behaviors both prior and during quarantine. Binge drinking significantly diminished during quarantine, while binge eating episodes did not vary in frequency. However, participants with pre-existent binge eating disorder (BED) reported a worsening in BED symptoms. Lower education, lower SES, job suspension due to lockdown, and higher pandemic-related stress were associated to an increase in binge behaviors during home confinement, whereas living with family was a protective factor. Participants reporting co-occurrent binge behaviors also had significantly higher pandemic-related stress and lower perceived support during home confinement, in comparison with no-binge participants. The study provides new insights about protective and risk factors for binge behaviors in emerging adults during COVID-19 lockdown.

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The present study investigated the effects of leisure activities and online peer relationships on the development of psychological difficulties in adolescents during the COVID-19 lockdown in Italy. Data were collected in April and May 2020. The parents of 1,020 Italian adolescents aged 14–18 (51.9% girls) completed questionnaires about the experiences and behaviors of their children before and during the lockdown. A moderation regression analysis was applied to test the research hypotheses. The findings indicated that adolescents who were more active in sports and social activities prior to the COVID-19 pandemic showed greater psychological distress during the lockdown. Moreover, increased reading, game playing, and exercise during the lockdown effectively compensated for the interruption of pre-pandemic sports and social activities, and represented a protective factor for adolescents’ mental health. Finally, increased online contact with peers during the lockdown protected against the development of psychological difficulties, regardless of adolescents’ engagement in sports and social activities prior to the pandemic. The findings provide new and useful information about the role of leisure activities and online contact with peers in protecting against psychological difficulties in adolescents, especially during situations of isolation and social distancing, as in the COVID-19 national lockdown.